CHICAGO -- "Policymakers have chosen to take action and we at the AAMA welcome a continued dialogue with them about the role of coin-operated games in society," begins a statement by the American Amusement Machine Association that explains its position on videogame "violence" in relation to crime.

In the wake of the slayings at a Connecticut elementary school on Dec. 14, the temporarily dormant debate over violence in videogames -- and over whether games contribute to such crimes -- has been reignited. In the most recent development, President Barack Obama called for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to renew study of the relationship among "videogames, media images and violence." The president urged Congress to support a bill that would grant the organization $10 million to conduct this research. | SEE STORY

Most of the concern with videogame violence has been directed toward consumer products and not arcade games because they are more prevalent today, and some home titles are far more graphic in the action, combat and shooter genres, among others.

More than a decade ago, AAMA and the Amusement and Music Operators Association created the Coin-Operated Video Game Parental Advisory System to rate arcade games and inform its consumers. It employs a color-coded "traffic light" design that can be understood by young children, as well as their parents. The system has been endorsed by all sectors of the coin-op industry, members of Congress and various children's advocacy groups.

Founded in 1981, AAMA is an international nonprofit trade organization representing manufacturers, distributors and parts suppliers involved in the coin-operated amusement industry. John Margold of AMI Entertainment is AAMA chairman, an elected post, and John Schultz is president, an appointed staff position.